Melissa Neumann - Final Project

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Movie To Cult Classic

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is one of the most unique movies of all time, with its elaborate musical numbers and cross-dressing characters. The movie is also the longest running film of all time, having been in theatres for over 30 years and making one hundred thousand times its budget. The success of the film can be credited to the cult status it has gained over the years. Since having its first midnight showing on April 1, 1976 in New York City, it has been in a theatre every weekend. And at every showing, there are the fans dressed up and acting out the movie or just participating by performing certain scenes, shouting back at the screen, or throwing props.

No other film of the 1970s can compare to “Rocky Horror.” Of course at the time of its release, it didn’t find success in theatres, like a film such as “Jaws” or “Star Wars” had. It is based on a successful stage musical from England written by an out-of-work actor. The movie mocks the science fiction and horror movie genres. “Rocky Horror” isn’t the only movie of the time that mocked another type of film. For instance, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” was a mock of the epic. “Rocky Horror” found success, but it took time. The film has taken in a huge gross, but that took many years. After it failed when it was first released and the studios wanted it to get out of the movie theatres, there was almost nowhere to turn. If it weren’t for the genius idea of one person at Twentieth Century Fox, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” might have never gotten the status it has today.

“Rocky Horror” is considered a cult classic. While nobody is denying that title, in today’s world, it doesn’t apply. When it got its many midnight showings in the 1970s, the word spread through word of mouth. It was in fact then a cult movie. Today it is a mainstream film. Even if a person has not seen the film, they have probably heard of it. It is very popular and has a huge following. Cult movies have a small following of highly devoted fans. They are movies that aren’t a part of our mainstream pop culture. So, when it first started its run late at night at art house theatres, it became a cult classic. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has every right to hang on to that title because it hasn’t stopped showing and many are dedicated to it. “Rocky Horror” is a cult classic because of the fans. And the film is in fact a “classic.” But after years of exposure, a cult film might just gain mainstream attention. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” a cult horror film, gets a lot of attention for being one of the best-known horror films of all time. While widely known, it has a cult following too. Many films of the 1970s are cult classics by today’s standards. But none are as popular as “Rocky Horror.” After all, who dresses up like Leatherface?

The difference between others movies from the 1970s and “Rocky Horror” is its look and style. The movie got bad reviews, but it is enjoyable. And even today, the point of going to the midnight showings is to enjoy yourself. Why else would people dress up in costume, throw bread at the screen, and do the Time Warp? Everything about the movie is supposed to be for fun. So for my project, I wanted to put in things I enjoyed the most. The scene that stuck out was The Time Warp, and that was the best song, so I wanted to go with that. The pictures I chose were memorable shots from the movie. And I wanted to make sure I got the fans in there with their costumes, because the costumes are a big part of the experience; it is stressed a lot. The reason “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is so successful is because of its following. The following continues to grow with each new generation. As long as people continue to join in and watch Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the “Sweet Transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania” shows us his favorite creation, Rocky Horror, the movie will continue with its successful cult status.


Bibliography

Michaels, Scott, and David Evans. Rocky Horror: From Concept To Cult. London:
Sanctuary, 1995

Rocky Horror Timeline. The Rocky Horror Picture Show Official Fan Club. 29 October
2007 http://www.rockyhorror.com/history/timeline.php

Samuels, Stuart. Midnight Movies. New York: Collier Books, 1983

Taylor, Greg. Artists in the Audience: Cults, Camp, and American Film Criticism.
Princeton: Princeton UP, 1999